U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 9, 2021

Cole Sherwood

Oakmont Country Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Shooting a 69 on which is an extremely hard course today, which I think the average was right around 76. Coming in the afternoon. How did you do it?

COLE SHERWOOD: So many, so much credit goes to my caddie, Scott, who is on the bag. He's doing a really good job of just picking really good lines off the tee and we're just trying to find the uphill putts. When you're playing a really challenging course like this that's the biggest thing is just to always have that uphill leave. It takes a lot of stress out when you have a 40-footer for birdie but it's uphill you can kind of give it a run. I got out of position a few times on my back nine which was the front nine, but I was able to finish strong a couple birdies and it was just really fun day enjoying this beautiful golf course.

Q. Tell me about your finish. You birdied the 8th and 9th holes your last two holes to get to 69.

COLE SHERWOOD: Hole 8 is playing 250 yards, which is just a beast of a hole. Hit it to the front of the green, probably made a 60-footer, 50-footer. So had a lot of momentum going into that tee shot on 9. Hit a long drive, hit a 7-iron to eight feet under it and just a good way to finish the round. So dinner's going to taste pretty good.

Q. You were 2-under at one time during the round you must have been doing something well, what was it?

COLE SHERWOOD: I was hitting the driver good and far. I switched to the new TSi driver just before this tournament and the misses are really good. And, yeah, turning 1-under, my drive on hole 1, which is my 10th hole, was almost, went down towards the green, had just a little flip wedge. So when I'm in -- if you're in position off this golf course, off the tee, makes it a whole lot easier, you can hit some close ones.

Q. You played pretty well in the spring, you tied for 5th at the SEC's. What have you been doing well all year that's led into this championship?

COLE SHERWOOD: I grew so much as a player this season under Coach Scott Limbaugh and Coach Gator Todd. They always said they saw so much potential in me and I just wasn't quite seeing it in my scores. And they did a really good job of just helping me understand to use the strengths of my game. So it's easy to try to act like Tour players and play like Tour players, but at the end of the day I mean you're yourself and so you have to find what's best for you and they really helped me just understand how to play, I mean what ways to play golf that's best for me.

Q. Is this your first U.S. Amateur?

COLE SHERWOOD: It's my first USGA event. Yes, sir.

Q. What has been the experience like for you? I mean, because I'm always told that this is a whole different thing that when everybody's used to.

COLE SHERWOOD: No, I mean it's crazy. I got in as an alternate just a few days ago, so I was really excited to get that phone call. It's just, I mean it feels like a TOUR event. I've been to a few luckily been to a few good tournaments but nothing like this. Just where, the maintenance crew at Oakmont are just incredible, everything is in perfect shape and you just feel like you're taken care of. So it's a really cool experience and I'm just trying to soak it all in, enjoy my time outside of the round. So it's been really cool.

Q. Your mentality going into tomorrow's round because obviously the goal is to make match play.

COLE SHERWOOD: Yeah, no just keep the pedal to the metal. That's another golf course where you have to really think your way around it, you have to hit good shots. And so you really can't think about the result or else you'll be taking over by the golf course. So my mentality's the same, just hit it in good positions, keep it under the hole and hopefully same result as of today.